Expect These Apps To Be On Google Glass

Google Glass is only in beta today, but someday soon, it’s going to be open to developers who will be charged with creating apps to make the gadget even more powerful.

Just like a smartphone, Google Glass will have its own app marketplace — premium apps will cost money, while some will be free for download simply by saying, “OK Glass…”

So what kind of apps can we expect to see on this new piece of wearable technology? Expect the basics, but also expect some apps to revolutionize Glass beyond what people at Google even envisioned.

–Social Media

Today Glass can post to Facebook and Twitter, but expect dedicated apps that will let you scroll through your feeds by looking up and down.

In addition to the two main social media platforms, expect LinkedIn to integrate with Glass and especially Pinterest. The photo-loving social network will likely expand to include video. Boards will be filled with up-to-date photos taken by looking and snapping.

You can expect Instagram, the world’s most popular photo-sharing social network, to follow suite.

–Games

As of today, there aren’t any games for Google Glass. While I don’t envision people playing Madden Football, or high-resolution tablet games like Blade Runner, you can expect simple games, like trivia-style, or cards or dice games that can easily be played with those around you.

Perhaps developers in charge of creating these augmented reality eyeglasses will take advantage of whatever the final version of Glass looks like (maybe it’ll include motion controls) and let us play Nintendo Wii-like games that require moving our heads, bodies or perhaps our eyes to perform tasks in a game.

–Sports Apps

Beyond your basic ESPN feeds that will show you game scores and highlights, you can anticipate to see apps that are supposed to be used at live sporting events.

If Google Glass proves to be popular, expect pro NFL, NBA and NHL teams to do in-game promotions that include chances to win prizes, while still entertain you at the game.

One of the benefits of watching sports at home is the ability to see highlights of big plays. With Google Glass and some fancy engineering, perhaps sports arenas could help show highlights to those in attendance — not on the jumbo screen, but in your Glass.

Additionally, you could see updated statistics, scores from around the league and other content, like injury updates.

Now of course, to make this happen, there needs to be some kind of network inside the arena. When too many people are in one place, cellular networks become congested. So the arena would need to build some kind of Wi-Fi network to let Glass users take advantage of those features.

–Cooking Apps

This is a no-brainer. The iPad became the ultimate cookbook in the kitchen, but the biggest problem was the fear of it getting messy. As you prep ingredients, you swipe the screen, which could be a problem depending on what you’re cooking.

Glass solves that.

Expect all the major cookbook publishers to create cooking apps that let you scroll through ingredients and instructions by voice and without worrying about looking for a phone or tablet. It’ll always be right in front of you.

If you’re cooking something tricky, the apps could also show videos of technique of cooking and preparation. This could come in handy when grilling for the Fourth of July.

–Entertainment Apps

Again, another no-brainer. While the computer and tablet will continue to be great for consumption of media, you can expect Google Glass to become a new way to consume media — especially on the go.

YouTube, which Google owns, will likely show up, in addition to other apps like Yahoo Screen and Wimp. These are apps that show quick videos.

Don’t expect to see a full version of Netflix make its way to Glass, but perhaps the Internet video streamer could offer a preview version for Glass users. While you’re riding the train to work, you could watch TV previews and set your Watch List for the evening when you get back from the job.

–News Apps

Like entertainment, Glass will be a great tool for news apps. From the days top headlines to stock readings, to local obituaries and more, news apps will dominate Glass usage.

News outlets will need to adjust to Glass by offering snippets of articles, instead of full-blown pieces. The idea is to give enough that a person can comfortably read and move on to the next piece of information.

Breaking news stories could alert Glass users and provide live video throughout the day, which would be a much more interactive experience for those paying attention to the story.

News apps will help Google Glass become a powerful tool for news junkies.